Menstrual Hygiene Day 2022: Girls who are given information on gender equality, mental health, sexual health and hygiene and nutrition are more likely to openly discuss these issues, ask questions and realise that menstruation is a normal part of their adolescence and lives
Representational image. AFP
Every month millions of girls, women, transgender men and non-binary persons menstruate. However, the reality is that many are unable to manage their menstrual cycles in a safe, dignified and healthy manner. Instead of conversations, dialogues or information most adolescent girls experience the onset of menstruation as a time of new vulnerabilities, restrictions and confusion.
Gender inequality, discriminatory and regressive social norms, cultural taboos, poverty and a lack of basic services such as toilets and sanitary products all contribute to menstrual health and hygiene needs being ignored and unmet. As a result the dominant adolescent experience of menstruation is stigma, harassment, social exclusion and embarrassment. For transgender men and non-binary persons this often also includes violence and discrimination based on their gender and sexual identities.
This has a far-reaching impact on millions of individuals and especially adolescents. It restricts their mobility and personal choices, and impacts attendance in school and participation in community and public life. And compromises safety, causing additional stress and anxiety for adolescent girls who are already facing a crisis of confidence and empowerment.
Menstrual health and hygiene programmes can help overcome these obstacles, by fulfilling the unmet demand for menstrual hygiene products and also supporting adolescent girls by providing information and resources, safe spaces for unlocking conversations and also empowering girls to take charge of their menstrual hygiene themselves. Despite national policies and schemes aimed at providing young people with access to menstrual hygiene products, there is still a lack of spaces where adolescents and young people can openly have conversations about their own body and personal development. Programmes and interventions, such as those run by Civil Society Organisations such as AAINA help provide dignity, build confidence and strengthen adolescent sexual and reproductive health. Similarly, communication campaigns, such as Baatein Unlocked, recently launched by USAID Momentum’s programme, destigmatize conversations around menstruation and other sexual and reproductive health issues.
Believing that young people, especially girls, must be able to take control of their lives and their health, Baatein Unlocked, uses art, media and culture to create safe spaces for otherwise taboo and sensitive topics to be discussed and conversations unlocked. Even as we as a country make some strides in the way of access to menstrual hygiene products, we unfortunately still continue to struggle with having basic conversations around a young persons’ aspirations, desires, wellbeing, and personal health & hygiene – a problem further exacerbated in the more remote towns and villages. This often leads to young people not being able to articulate their changing needs, especially young women and girls from smaller communities where these conversations are still considered taboo.
By giving adolescents and young people the opportunity to initiate conversations and actions around their sexual and reproductive health and rights, including their menstrual health, we equip them with the tools and confidence to advocate for their own health and wellbeing. Girls who are given information on gender equality, mental health, sexual health and hygiene and nutrition are more likely to openly discuss these issues, ask questions and realise that menstruation is a normal part of their adolescence and lives. Furthermore, they are also then empowered to ensure that they are equipped to manage their menstrual health and hygiene as required.
In Bihar for instance, young girls in Nawada have come together to form sanitary pad banks thereby ensuring that adolescents who otherwise would have missed school days or be restricted in their movement were able to take charge of their personal hygiene and control their mobility. Elsewhere in the country, girls have advocated for the addition of menstrual health products to the list of “essential items” during lockdowns.
In a study conducted among adolescent girls in Behrampur, Odisha it was found that only 15 per cent of adolescent girls had adequate information and knowledge about their menstrual health. The study concluded that improving the girl’s understanding and awareness of their menstrual health and hygiene had far-reaching consequences on their education and other social and health indicators. The impact of the pandemic on the mobility and agency of young people cannot be understated – especially during the lockdowns and school closures that resulted in further isolation of young women and girls. These further hindered young people’s access to social interactions with their peers where such conversations could otherwise take place.
By placing young people at the heart of conversations on their sexual and reproductive health we give them safe, private, and non-judgmental spaces to raise their voices, articulate their needs, advocate for youth-friendly services and work with programme developers and policymakers. Young people are then able to creatively engage with each other and key stakeholders to better understand themselves, their bodies, their aspirations, needs and even desires. “Baatein Unlocked” therefore provides platforms for young people to creatively set the agenda for truly open and honest conversations.
The author is a social worker, activist, and founder of Aaina, an organization promoting the rights of children, women and persons with disabilities in Odisha.
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